Maintaining your health—physically, emotionally, and financially—is necessary
for you to be productive in all areas of your life. With so many demands,
distractions, and temptations, it can be challenging to think positive and stay
healthy. Many of us lead lives in which juggling responsibilities on a daily
basis and pleasing others is the norm. With only so much time in each day, it’s
important to efficiently manage and cope with what is on our plate without
stretching ourselves too thin.
Here are some meaningful tips to help you improve your well-being this season:
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Get plenty of sleep.
Sleep affects your health in many ways. Lack of sleep can cause depression,
fatigue, and increased appetite. Here are some suggestions to help you fall
asleep easier at night: think soothing, positive thoughts, relax your muscles,
don’t eat a heavy meal before bed, and eliminate energetic activity a few hours
before bedtime.
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If you’re traveling, bring a survival kit.
You’ll want to fill your kit with healthy snacks, hand sanitizer, vitamin C
drops, antibacterial wipes, Kleenex, eye drops, and ibuprofen.
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Decompress daily and think positively.
Money, work, family—these can all be stressors that leave you feeling exhausted
at the end of the day. It’s important to incorporate fatigue busters in your
daily routine: take a walk, talk with a friend, watch a funny movie, read a
good book, etc. The idea is to do things that eliminate stress and make you
feel good.
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Donate to a charity.
Whether it’s time, clothing, food, or a toy, the act of giving puts your focus
on something positive and makes you feel good. It can also make your worries
not seem like such a big deal.
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Fuel your body and mind with nutritious foods. Keeping your
immune system strong and energy level high is the ideal recipe to staying
healthy and fit. Here is an abbreviated list of the best foods to help you
achieve a healthy body and mind: avocados, bananas, whole grain bagels,
carrots, chocolate milk, cranberries, low-fat cottage cheese, hummus, oranges,
peanuts, potatoes, and salmon. To get you started, here is one recipe that’s
delicious and packed with nutritious ingredients:
Cranberry-Pumpkin Cookies
½ cup butter, softened (light or cholesterol-free butter can be substituted)
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar (artificial sweetner can be substituted)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg (egg whites can be substituted)
1 cup solid pack pumpkin puree
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (whole wheat flour can be substituted)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cranberries
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon orange zest
½ cup chopped walnuts
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
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In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in
vanilla, egg and pumpkin. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda,
salt and cinnamon; stir into mixture until well blended. Cut the cranberries in
half and stir into mixture along with the orange zest and walnuts. Drop by
teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets.
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Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Enjoy!
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